Mojo's 50 Best Albums Of 2006

The January issue of Mojo has loads of year-end lists. They whipped themselves into such a list-making frenzy that they also made a list of the 50 Greatest Dylan Albums. Each one is reviewed and rated. And like most people, you've probably been wondering what the top 10 Canadian singles were in the first week of January 1976. You need only turn to Mojo. Yes, I'm worried about them too.

The form for the reader's poll is in this issue because, I suppose, they can't stop making lists. Sending your answers by January 1st gives you a chance to win the 50 best albums.

Mojo's 50 Best Albums Of 2006

1. The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
2. Bob Dylan - Modern Times
3. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
4. Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
5. Archie Bronson Outfit - Derdang, Derdang
6. Vetiver - To Find Me Gone
7. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
8. James Hunter - People Gonna Talk
9. Midlake - The Trials Of Van Occupanther
10. Cat Power - The Greatest
11. Morrissey - Ringleader Of The Tormentors
12. Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
13. Johnny Cash - American V: A Hundred Highways
14. Scritti Politti - White Bread Black Beer (Standout Track: The Boom Boom Bap)
15. The Young Knives - Voices Of Animals And Men (Standout Track: Loughborough Suicide)
16. De Rosa - Mend
17. The Who - Endless Wire
18. David Gilmour - On An Island
19. The Beatles - Love
20. Joanna Newsom - Ys
21. Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
22. Espers - Espers II
23. Bert Jansch - The Black Swan
24. Kelley Stoltz - Bellow The Branches
25. Belle And Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
26. Brightback Morning Light - Brightback Morning Light
27. New York Dolls - One Day it Will Please Us To Remember Even This
28. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan- Ballad Of The Broken Seas
29. Comets On Fire - Avatar
30. Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor
31. Graham Coxon - Love Travels At Illegal Speeds
32. Fionn Regan - The End Of History
33. Elton John - The Captain And The Kid
34. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Letting Go
35. Jerry Lee Lewis - Last Man Standing
36. Lindsey Buckingham - Under The Skin
37. The Zutons - Tired Of Hanging Around
38. J Dilla - Donuts
39. Guillemots - Through The Windowpane
40. Thom Yorke - Eraser
41. TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
42. Madeleine Peyroux - Half The Perfect World
43. Kasabian - Empire
44. Ali Farka Touré - Savane
45. Corinne Bailey Rae - Corinne Bailey Rae
46. Simple Kid - Simple Kid 2
47. The Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics
48. Sparks - Hello Young Lovers
49. Lily Allen - Alright, Still...
50. Amp Fiddler - Afro Strut

Band Of The Year: The Raconteurs

DVD Of The Year: The Devil And Daniel Johnston

Track of the Year: Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy"

Woman Of The Year: Amy Winehouse

Trend Of The Year: YouTube

Along with the Top 50 Albums, Mojo compiled Top 10 lists for World, Reggae Reissues, Americana, Folk, Soundtracks, Urban, Blues, Jazz, and Underground, and a Top 20 list for Reissues.

Mojo also asked a bunch of people to name the best thing they heard this year.

Lindsey Buckingham says, "I love The Eraser by Thom Yorke. I don't listen to a lot of new music when I'm making a record. I'm working in a very limited world. But Thom Yorke is always doing something new and inspiring. For me, over the past few years, listening to Radiohead has really helped keep my belief system going."

That's rather cool. Timely too, given the remixes of "The Clock" and "Analyse" that Thom Yorke posted just the other day at theeraser.net (click on the buildings to download them).

Robert Plant names Bob Dylan's Modern Times. Jack White picks "Crazy" and calls it "the greatest song of the year."

Along with all the year-end coverage (which is nifty, though I can't say I agree with the Top 50 Albums list) and the Dylan reviews, this issue includes interviews with Arcade Fire and Robert Plant and a look at the recording of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. The CD is a tribute to Brian Wilson... will post tracks from it tomorrow.

Oh, okay, for the week of January 3rd, 1976, the top Canadian single was "Saturday Night" by Bay City Rollers. "Fox On The Run" by The Sweet was #2.

Lastly, Happy Hanukkah. I hope the holiday is filled with warmth and love.

Kenny G - The Chanukah Song (available on The Greatest Holiday Classics)